In this special message, Pastor Casey Kendall steps away from the 2 Samuel series to share from Psalm 62 during a season of transition for Bridgetown Church. As the community processes change, grief, and uncertainty, this teaching reminds us that God is our rock, our refuge, and our strength.

Through David’s words, we’re invited to bring our full, honest selves before God. Rather than suppressing emotion, Scripture calls us to trust Him at all times and pour out our hearts before Him. Even in seasons of pain and waiting, we can remain steady because of who God is.

This message is both a pastoral encouragement and a call to deeper trust—anchoring our lives not in circumstances, but in the unchanging character of God.

Psalm 62:5–8
“My soul, wait silently for God alone…
He only is my rock and my salvation…
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.”

Join us each Sunday at 10:30am
Learn more at: wearebridgetown.com

Unexpected Scars: Finding Hope When You’ve Been Dropped

Bridgetown Church Podcast | Pastor Casey Kendall
Text: 2 Samuel 4

In this message, Pastor Casey Kendall continues the series through 2 Samuel with a teaching from chapter 4 titled Unexpected Scars: Finding Hope When You’ve Been Dropped.

Centered on the brief but powerful mention of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 4:4, Pastor Casey explores what it means to trust God when life takes a turn you never saw coming. Through humor, honesty, and biblical insight, he reminds listeners that some of the deepest pain in life comes from the things we simply did not expect — bad news, broken trust, loss, fear, disappointment, and wounds caused by someone else’s actions.

The message begins with the story of Mephibosheth, a five-year-old boy who was accidentally dropped while being rushed to safety after the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. That fall left him permanently lame. Pastor Casey uses this moment to speak to anyone who feels like life has dropped them, wounded them, or changed their story in ways they never would have chosen.

From there, the sermon walks through the larger events of 2 Samuel 4, including the instability surrounding Ish-bosheth, the violent actions of Baanah and Rechab, and David’s righteous response. Through it all, the message highlights three key truths for navigating the unexpected:

We need an anchor.
When life feels unstable, our peace cannot be built on people, outcomes, or circumstances. Pastor Casey warns against placing our security in human “anchors” that cannot hold us, and instead calls believers to anchor themselves in the character, faithfulness, and promises of God.

We need righteous actions.
Unexpected pain does not justify sinful responses. Even when emotions run high, believers are called to act with obedience, wisdom, and trust in God rather than reacting out of fear, revenge, panic, or self-protection.

We must live with responsibility and anticipation.
Even when our pain was caused by someone else’s decisions, we are still responsible for how we move forward. Pastor Casey encourages listeners not to stop in the middle of their pain, but to keep taking the next faithful step, trusting that God is still writing the story.

A major thread throughout the message is this: 2 Samuel 4 is not the end of Mephibosheth’s story. Pastor Casey points ahead to 2 Samuel 9, where Mephibosheth is brought to the king’s table. What looked like the end was actually setting the stage for grace. In the same way, our scars, setbacks, and sorrows are not beyond the reach of Jesus.

The Elephant in the Room

Bridgetown Church Podcast | Pastor Casey Kendall

In this message, Pastor Casey Kendall explores Galatians 4 and the challenge of addressing “the elephant in the room” — the hard conversations, hidden tensions, and unspoken issues we often avoid. Through the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Galatia, this teaching calls believers to approach conflict with concern, truth, humility, and a desire for restoration.

Pastor Casey begins by reflecting on waiting — both in an urgent care room and in life — and reminds listeners with simple hope: Jesus is coming. From there, he shares how God has been stirring Bridgetown Church toward a fresh missions vision in 2026: to live as people who are either goers or senders, but never passive. He highlights ongoing outreach efforts, mission opportunities in Japan, Africa, Cambodia, and Pakistan, and the church’s call to keep getting the gospel into the world.

The heart of the sermon then turns to Galatians 4:16:
“Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”

Using that verse as a foundation, Pastor Casey addresses the way people often avoid difficult conversations in friendships, marriages, families, church life, and culture. He defines “the elephant in the room” as a problem everyone sees but no one wants to talk about, and shows how avoidance does not remove conflict — it only hides it.

Drawing from Paul’s example, Pastor Casey offers a biblical framework for handling hard conversations:

• Be concerned for the person

• Be willing to suffer with them

• Speak the truth

• Walk with them until Christ is formed in them

Rather than trying to “win” arguments, believers are called to pursue correction, restoration, and spiritual maturity. This message is a call to stop covering what needs to be addressed and to trust God enough to have honest, loving, truth-filled conversations.

Response to Revenge

2 Samuel 3:31–39 | Guest Speaker: Judah Kuhl

This Sunday, guest speaker Judah Kuhl continued our study through 2 Samuel, walking us through chapter 3 and examining how we respond when we’ve been wronged.

In a world captivated by revenge stories and quick retaliation, Scripture offers a different path. When Abner is murdered, King David’s response is not celebration—but mourning. David grieves publicly, honors his fallen enemy, and ultimately entrusts justice to the Lord.

Through this passage, we see two important truths:

• Revenge creates a destructive cycle of bitterness and violence.

• Justice belongs to God, not to us.

While David models humility and grief, his failure to fully hold Joab accountable reminds us that even good leaders fall short. David points us to a better King—Jesus—who perfectly balances mercy and justice.

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us to break the cycle of retaliation by loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. This is not easy, but it is the way of Christ.

As we reflect on this message, we are invited to consider:

• Where am I tempted to take revenge into my own hands?

• What would it look like to trust God with justice?

• Who is God asking me to pray for this week?

Because the solution to wrongdoing is not reaction—but prayer.

Listen to the full message on the Bridgetown Church Podcast or at wearebridgetown.com.

On Valentine’s Day weekend, guest speaker Chris Ochoa opens with a reminder: you are not alone—Jesus loves you and is with you. From there, he teaches on fasting as one of Jesus’ core spiritual disciplines (alongside giving and prayer). Chris frames fasting as a practice of spiritual formation—training that leads to transformation—so believers become the kind of people who look like Jesus in both body and spirit.

Using Matthew 6 and Isaiah 58, Chris clears up common confusion: fasting isn’t a Christian “hack,” a detox, or a way to earn God’s favor. Instead, fasting is about intentional communion with God, paired with prayer, that deepens faith and reorders desires. He highlights biblical patterns of fasting (mourning, petition, response), warns against “false fasting” that’s self-centered and produces quarrels, and points to God’s heart for fasting that produces righteousness, justice, and generosity.

Chris closes with practical ways to approach an upcoming church-wide week of fasting, and he connects fasting to communion and the gospel—Jesus’ final meal, His thirst on the cross, and His victory that makes us His redeemed people.

Pastor Casey Kendall teaches on why healthy boundaries are a blessing, not a barrier. Using 2 Samuel 3, he shows how God often uses conflict and prolonged “relational wars” to separate what’s unhealthy from what He’s strengthening in us. Casey blends biblical leadership from David’s life with practical wisdom from Dr. Henry Cloud to help listeners navigate breakups, hard conversations, and the courage to take the high road while maintaining clear, loving limits.

In this message, Pastor Casey Kendall invites the church into a kind of discipleship that many believers never receive: how to handle conflict in a way that honors Jesus—in marriages, friendships, workplaces, and even church life. Using 2 Samuel 2 as the backdrop, he contrasts the leadership of David (marked by prayer, restraint, and kindness) with the reactive, pride-fueled conflict of Abner and Joab, which escalates until nearly 400 people die.

Through vivid storytelling—including the boxing scandal of Louis Resto and Billy Collins Jr.—Pastor Casey warns that fighting “dirty” can permanently blur someone else’s vision, leaving lasting damage in families and relationships. But there’s a better way: release control, pick your battles, slow down, return kindness for hate, pray for your aggressor, set wise boundaries, and surrender pride to God.

The message ends with a call to repentance and healing: don’t keep “steam” bottled up. The breakthrough comes when we stop fighting, yield control back to Jesus, and pursue the mission of the King—grace.

In this message, Pastor Casey Kendall opens 2 Samuel 2:1–7 and highlights David’s first steps after the death of Saul and Jonathan. Instead of rushing into power, David inquires of the Lord, demonstrating that spiritual maturity shows up in seasons of transition—especially when the “throne feels empty” and the next step is unclear.

Using David’s example, the message centers on the spiritual challenge of waiting. Waiting isn’t passive—it’s often where God does His deepest work in us. Pastor Casey frames the teaching around a “formula for failure” in 2026, calling listeners to trust God’s timing, keep their posture before the Lord, and prioritize character over reputation while God is still working in the delay.

We’d love to see you in person—join us this Sunday at 10:30am.

Passage: 2 Samuel 1 (key verse: 2 Sam. 1:27)
Theme: “Let It Go” — starting 2026 by releasing what you’ve been carrying

Pastor Casey returns to the story of David in 2 Samuel 1 and offers three powerful words for the new year: Let it go.Using the imagery of “boarding flight 2026,” he calls the church to leave behind the baggage of 2025—hurt, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and unmet expectations—so we can move forward in freedom.

This message walks through three practical steps:

1. Grieve what is gone — don’t numb, deny, or bury pain; bring it honestly to God.

2. Deal with what’s destroying you — address the “Amalekite” (the flesh) and pursue holiness over happiness.

3. Worship in the war — like David, learn to sing even in the middle of battle.

A timely encouragement for anyone carrying loss, disappointment, or weight into a new season.

Key Scriptures Mentioned: Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 12:1, 1 Peter 5:7, Galatians 2:20

Speaker: Christ Ochoa
Scripture: 3 John 1:1–8 (with connections to Hebrews 10)

In this message, Christ Ochoa builds on last week’s theme of Simple Assurance (Hebrews 10) with a companion call: Simple Obedience (Missions). Teaching from 3 John, Christ invites Bridgetown into a bigger vision for 2026—one rooted in truth and love, expressed through hospitality, generosity, holiness, and mission.

Through John’s personal letter to Gaius, we get a picture of what faithfulness looked like in the early church: holding firmly to the truth of the gospel, walking in love, and supporting the work of ministry—especially through practical obedience like welcoming and sending out traveling missionaries. Christ reminds us that Sundays are not just for learning something new, but for being re-centered on what’s true, renewed in hope, and commissioned back into the world.

A major thread in the message is the biblical meaning of “the Name”—how God’s Name represents His presence, character, and ownership, and how Jesus ultimately places that Name upon His people. The takeaway is both sobering and empowering: how we live matters, because we bear His Name wherever we go.

See you Sunday at 10:30am!

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